Acupuncture News Health & Fitness.

This blog is intended as an informative and educational resource where I can share my knowledge and experiences within both the acupuncture and Chinese medicine fields as well as to help you make better informed choices about your health, fitness and lifestyle.

Often asked “how does acupuncture work for stress?” the how question is an ongoing one that is explicable with traditional Chinese medicine concepts and is an ongoing subject of modern scientific research. As far as acupuncture for stress goes, I see many clients specifically for stress and stress related symptoms. In fact, most of my clients, regardless of what they come to me for, report a general feeling of relaxation, mood elevation and stress relief after each session. This has a cumulative effect and with more treatments, the effects become long-term provided that appropriate life-style habits are developed as well as removal of stress factors or a change in reaction to these stressors and how they are managed. It is difficult to explain exactly the mechanism of how acupuncture works. From the traditional paradigm, it is to do with recognising symptomatic manifestations of internal imbalances of qi and blood (i.e deficiency, excess, stagnation, heat, cold and so on). From this a pattern of disharmony is recognised and a treatment strategy is developed based on the traditional meridian theory that influences the internal organs to help nourish, promote functioning and restore balance. From a scientific perspective, the micro lesions created by the insertion of acupuncture needles has wide-reaching physiological effects on all systems of the body both locally at the needling site and centrally, in the brain. Nervous, endocrine, neurological, hormonal, musculoskeletal systems are all stimulated and to different degrees, depending on the location and stimulation of the acupuncture point used. Acupuncture for pain works in the same way as above with the addition of local-specific points to alleviate pain, relieve muscle spasm, chronic tension, connective tissue adhesions and breakdown scar tissue in both the problem area as well as wider inter-connected muscle groups that relate to this area. There is considerable overlap between the ‘traditional’ explanations and modern scientific discoveries.

More detail of the physiological processes involved in stress, environmental and internal stress factors and management will be explained in a future post.

Here’s another short video explaining a little bit about how acupuncture can help with sports and general injuries. The main aspects, as mentioned before are the reduction of pain and inflammation, stimulation of the local area to heal, releasing of surrounding muscle spasm. I believe it is important to have acupuncture administered by a fully qualified acupuncturist rather than a physiotherapist or a GP practicing either ‘dry needling’ or ‘medical acupuncture’ as a tac-on to their profession. All to often the training involved is only days or weeks with knowledge of the wider implications effects and usages of acupuncture being completely missing.

Here’s a little sports injuries promotional video I have put together as part of a series of educational posts I want to do with regards to sports injuries and how acupuncture works in this regard. I hope you enjoy.

If you have been struggling with a recent injury preventing you from doing your favourite activity and sport, I know your frustration. You might have suffered with a new injury, a recurring problem or a chronic sports injury that just does not seem to be going away. Every time you think the light is green, you go out and run, or head straight back to the gym, the court or the water and bam! there it goes again. You may have been seeing an array of therapists from physiotherapists, masseurs, osteopaths or chiropractors. Acupuncture has, until this point, perhaps not been on your radar. Aside from the importance of rehabilitation and cross-training for your sport, I need to explain a little bit about acupuncture and its relation to sports injuries, pain and healing.

In this article I will try to bust some myths and explain some of the science behind the facts. Lastly I shall elaborate on the effects of excess sugar consumption on the body from a Chinese Medical and Acupuncture perspective. The main health problems I will discuss in relation to sugar are obesity and hypertension.

In 2007 I travelled to China to study Taijiquan at the birth place of in Chen village, Henan province, followed by one month spent shadowing doctors at the First Teaching TCM hospital in Tainjin, about two hours south east of Beijing.